GLOSSOP firefighters are in the driving seat when it comes to road rescues.

The town's team came out top at the weekend in the regional final of the British National Extrication Challenge.

The competition sees teams go head-to-head in a 20-minute challenge to rescue people from a mock road traffic accident by stabilising the car and moving the victim onto a spinal board.

Four firefighters from Glossop and two from Matlock joined forces to enter along with five other teams from across the East Midlands.

Glossop lead firefighter Ian Redfern, who took part in the contest at Nottinghamshire Headquarters on Saturday, said: "It's the first time we've entered so it's a great result. We never thought about doing it before but as we have two of the most dangerous roads in the country - the Snake and Woodhead - we deal with road traffic accidents and do RTA training as part of our everyday activities.

"We did about two weeks extra training beforehand and it just all came together on the day."

The team will now compete against the best in the country at the grand final at Belfast in August.